Weaponry Wins the War

A Southland Guineas (Listed, 1600m) winner at the end of his three-year-old campaign, Weaponry (4 g Declaration of War - Cat Shmea, by Felix the Cat) recorded his fourth win from nine starts for the Te Akau Weaponry Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM) on 13 December at Tauranga.

This time last year, Weaponry made the perfect start to his racing career with a debut win at Rotorua, before winning again at Ruakaka, and a decision by trainer Jamie Richards to contest the Southern Guineas Series culminated with victory after being unlucky in the two lead-up Guineas races.

Having kicked off in the same vein, with a second and third, respectively, he worked on a genuine pace before being claimed on the line by talented mare Sinarahma (Darci Brahma) in the Rating 72 1400 metres on 23 November at Awapuni, but Te Akau apprentice rider Chelsea Burdan made amends with clinical performance.

Taking luck out of the equation in a small field of five, she had Weaponry outside the leader and although tackled in earnest at the 200m he lifted stylishly to justify favouritism in the $11,000 Rob Pinny Realty Rating 72 1400 metres. 

On footing rated Dead4, he ran the 1400 metres in 1:23.8 and paid $2.50 & $1.30 on the NZ TAB tote. 

“He was very good the other day Awapuni, and found the right race to gain another win,” Richards said. “He likes to gawk when he gets to the front, but Chelsea gave him a lovely ride, half a length off the leader, and he found a good kick when the challengers came. 

“He won with a bit of authority in the end and had the audacity to prick his ears and have a look at the winning post. He's had good, consistent form and it won't be his last win. He looks like he can take the step up to the next grade and he's going well on the back of a good three-year-old season.

“He's stabled in the colt barn, so a good effort by the team there. He enjoys a bit of variety in his training. Chelsea rides all his track work, so they get on well and she rode him perfectly to instructions.”

Weaponry was purchased by David Ellis for $140,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Premier Yearling Sale, from the draft of Curraghmore Stud.

Inbred to immortal sire Northern Dancer, Weaponry is from the first crop of a stallion that was very impressive when winning the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr. 1, 1600m) at Royal Ascot.

“Anyone who saw Declaration of War's win at Ascot would have realised what a special horse he was for trainer Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle, and he went on to win one of the highest rated races in the world - the Juddmonte International (Gr. 1, 2100m) at York,” Ellis said.

“He was a dual Group One winner, Joint Champion Older Male in Europe, and a top 10 second-crop sire that has left all his stakes winners on turf. He shuttled to Coolmore Australia in 2014, so we were lucky to be able to buy any of his progeny, and this season he shuttled to Japan. 

“The horse was bred by friends of ours, Shelley Frost and her late mother (Raywyn Ramage) at Braided River Thoroughbreds. We love buying horses from breeders that support us and they have been brilliant people to train for.

 â€œHis dam, Cat Shmea, had already left a Group One winner (Velocitea) of the Goodwood Stakes over 1200 metres in Adelaide, and overall we really liked him. He's a tough horse and has a good record.”

Weaponry was strapped by Ashley Handley. 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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